Chapter 42: Takuya, How Did You Do It?

"Argh!!"

No one knew how much time had passed, but when the Third Kazekage finally broke free from the genjutsu, veins bulged on his forehead as if he was barely containing his rage. Gripping his head, he roared like a wild beast.

Even though he managed to escape the genjutsu, it wasn't without a cost—he had suffered significant mental damage.

If it was just about an embarrassing dance, why would so many players keep pouring money into that game to get 'Sakura Dance of Social Death'?

This genjutsu inflicted serious mental damage, almost comparable to Itachi Uchiha's Tsukuyomi if you calculated it in terms of game damage values.

Panting heavily, the Third Kazekage half-kneeled on the ground, his narrow eyes bloodshot. The constant stabbing pain in his mind nearly made him pass out.

"That damned brat... I swear I'll kill you!!"

His current state was all Takuya's fault.

Although he didn't know Takuya's name, the Third Kazekage vowed that if he ever got the chance, he'd kill him first.

Not only had he suffered severe mental trauma, but he had been forced to dance!

Just thinking about the way he had just danced made him so embarrassed he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it.

This kind of humiliation could never get out, or he'd be socially dead.

The strongest Kazekage, brought down by a kid's genjutsu, then forced into a ridiculous dance...

If that gets out, how could I show my face in the shinobi world?

"Kazekage-sama!"

Before long, the Sand Village reinforcements arrived.

The Third Kazekage clutched his head, crouched on his iron sand platform, and flew into the sky, leaving behind only a single order:

"There's no need to chase those kids any further. Start the operation immediately. We must secure enough resources before Konoha has a chance to react."

He didn't want his village's ninja to see him in such a pathetic state, and he wasn't about to send anyone after Takuya.

If that brat could use that genjutsu again, who knows how many Sand ninja would end up making fools of themselves?

They might end up dead just like Akagiri—without even knowing how.

The thought of Takuya's kunai nearly reaching him sent a cold sweat down the Kazekage's back.

Thank goodness for the iron sand's automatic defense. If it weren't for that, I'd be dead.

The time it took to break free from the genjutsu would've been more than enough for Takuya to kill him countless times.

"Damn it! That brat's genjutsu... the way to break it was completely backward!"

With his head feeling like it was about to explode, the Third Kazekage sped up, looking for a quiet place to recover.

The Kazekage himself couldn't even take them down? And he ordered us to stop chasing them? Those kids must be seriously dangerous.

The Third Kazekage fled, leaving the remaining Sand ninja to exchange confused looks, none of them understanding what had just happened.

As they kept running, putting as much distance between themselves and the Sand forces as possible, Takuya felt that the Kazekage had given up the chase.

"Let's take a break," he said.

Mikoto was at her limit, and Minato wasn't in much better shape.

Running wouldn't have been so exhausting if they weren't each lugging around a fat pig from the Daimyo's entourage.

Honestly, how do these officials manage to get so outrageously fat?

Carefully setting his burden down, Minato collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. His clothes were soaked with sweat—partly from the run, partly from the sheer terror of being chased by the Third Kazekage.

It was terrifying... the Third Kazekage personally hunting us down. Just thinking about it is horrifying.

Thank goodness Takuya was able to defuse the situation; otherwise, my grave would have grass a meter tall by next year.

Mikoto wasn't doing much better, sinking to the ground with no energy left to move.

"Here, drink some water," Takuya offered them a canteen, glancing back in the direction they had come from. "It seems the enemy has given up the chase. We've got enough time to make our way back to Konoha at our own pace."

I'd love to just get rid of these three fat pigs right now.

If they weren't our clients, I'd have ditched them ages ago.

"Takuya, how did you do it?"

After resting for a bit, Minato and Mikoto had recovered enough to ask the question that had been burning in their minds. Both of them stared at Takuya, as if trying to see through all his secrets.

Sitting on the grass, Takuya handed out some spare rations. As he ate, he replied casually, "I just did it, that's all. I developed a strong genjutsu, and the Third Kazekage was careless enough to fall for it."

Careless enough to fall for it?

Come on, who are you trying to fool? It was a direct hit; we're not blind!

Minato rolled his eyes at Takuya, munching on his rations.

Glancing at the unconscious trio on the ground, Takuya said to Minato and Mikoto, "I hope you can keep what happened today under wraps. Just tell them we ran into Sand Village enemies, but don't mention anything about the Third Kazekage."

"I won't say a word," Mikoto promised firmly.

Even if Takuya hadn't said anything, she wouldn't have told anyone.

Unless Takuya brought it up himself, this was staying a secret.

"Got it," Minato nodded. He wasn't the naive, curious kid he used to be.

He understood enough about the darker side of the village to know why Takuya didn't want anyone to know.

If the word got out, it wouldn't do Takuya any good.

In fact, it would only make certain people more wary of him. They wouldn't believe it was just a genjutsu; they'd stubbornly insist it was the power of the Sharingan.

Especially the ever-suspicious Third Hokage and the always-paranoid Danzo.

"Let's go. The sooner we get back to the village, the safer we'll be. The news of the Sand Village's invasion needs to reach Konoha as soon as possible."

After a bit more rest, the three of them picked up their burdens and continued their journey.

"Who goes there?"

As they approached the heart of the Fire Country, they headed straight for a checkpoint. The fastest way to get the message to Konoha was to find the ninja on duty there.

They could use messenger hawks to send the news back to the village.

"Sir!"

Minato dropped his burden to the ground, raising his hand as he called out, "We're from Takuya's team, escorting clients to the Land of Rivers. We encountered a Sand Village strike force on the way. Their army has invaded the Land of Fire. Please send word to the village immediately."

"What?"

The on-duty ninja was stunned.

Two of his comrades quickly checked Takuya and his team's identities. Once verified, they attached the message scroll to a messenger hawk and released it into the night sky.

"Caw!!"

With a loud cry, the hawk spread its wings and flew into the darkness, carrying the urgent message.

"Rest here for now. If your information is accurate, you'll be heroes of the village."

P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 103 at patreon.com/Emik01.